African Americans are a demographic minority in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in various fields historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier".[1][2]

First African-American police officer in New York City: Samuel J. Battle, following the 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York, and the hiring of three African-American officers in the Brooklyn Police Department. Battle was also the NYPD's first African-American sergeant (1926), lieutenant (1935), and parolecommissioner (1941).[58] (See also: Wiley Overton, 1891)

First African American to campaign for the U.S. presidency in a major political party and to win a U.S. presidential primary/caucus: Shirley Chisholm (Democratic Party, New Jersey primary) (See also: 1968)

First African American inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame: Team-owner and coach Bob Douglas, in the category of "contributor" (See also: New York Renaissance, 1963; player Bill Russell, 1975; coach Clarence Gaines, 1982)

First African American to win a delegate-awarding U.S. presidential primary/caucus: Jesse Jackson (Louisiana, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Virginia and one of two separate Mississippi contests).

First African-American New York City Police Commissioner: Benjamin Ward

^Because it was published in the U.K., the book is not the first African-American novel published in the United States. This credit goes to one of two disputed books: Harriet Wilson's Our Nig (1859), brought to light by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in 1982; or Julia C. Collins' The Curse of Caste; or The Slave Bride (1865), brought to light by William L. Andrews, an English literature professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Mitch Kachun, a history professor at Western Michigan University, in 2006. Andrews and Kachun document Our Nig as a novelized autobiography, and argue that The Curse of Caste is the first fully fictional novel by an African American to be published in the U.S.

^Founded earlier; not fully owned and operated by African Americans until 1863

^Rainey, a South Carolina state senator, was elected to fill the seat vacated by B. Franklin Whittemore. Rainey took his seat on December 12, 1870. John Willis Menard was actually the first African-American elected to the House (1868) but he was denied his seat.

^Douglass did not seek the nomination or campaign after being nominated.

^Gravely was also the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship (1962), and the first promoted to the rank of admiral (1971).

^L. Clifford Davis applied to the law school in 1946, and after several failed attempts was granted admission in September 1947, but was unable to enroll in classes. Hunt later enrolled on February 2, 1948.[114]

^While considered a network for regulatory reasons, CBS TV was viewable only locally in 1948. By 1956, CBS and other networks were viewable nationwide.

^Clifton was the first to sign an NBA contract and subsequently play, Cooper was the first to be drafted by an NBA team, and Lloyd was the first to play in an NBA regular-season game because his team's opening game was one day before the others.

^At that time, nominations were announced in November of the year of release, instead of early the following year.

^While two black players won Gold Gloves that year, only Mays is African-American. The other, Minnie Miñoso, is Afro-Cuban.

^In 1998, the award would be renamed the Oscar Robertson Trophy after its first recipient.

^ abcThe first Black superhero, Marvel's Black Panther, introduced in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), is African, not African-American. This is also true of the first Black character to star in his own mainstream comic-book feature, Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who headlined one of four features in the multiple-character omnibus series Jungle Tales (Sept. 1954 – Sept. 1955), from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics.

^At the time, the NCAA had not yet adopted its three-division system. Illinois State was in the NCAA University Division, which became Division I in 1973. The NCAA retroactively considers University Division members to have been Division I members.

^Lewis Hamilton became the first black Formula One racer in 2006, but he is a British citizen of Grenadan ancestry, and not an African American. Ribbs did not compete in a race, but drove a Formula One car professionally in January 1986 as a tester for the Brabham-BMW at Estoril, Portugal.

^Konhaus, Timothy (2006). "Delany, Martin Robison". In Finkelman, Paul. Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass2. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 373–375. ISBN9780195167771.

^Finkelman, Paul (2007). "Not Only the Judges' Robes Were Black: African-American Lawyers as Social Engineers". In Steve Sheppard (ed.). The History of Legal Education in the United States: commentaries and primary sources1. Clark, N.J: The Lawbook Exchange. pp. 913–948. ISBN9781584776901.

^Hine, William C. "Rainey, Joseph Hayne (1832-1887)". In Walter B. Edgar (ed.). South Carolina Encyclopedia. Columbia, South Carolina: Institute for Southern Studies, University of South Carolina. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-28.

^Susan Love Brown (2006). "Economic Life". In Paul Finkelman (ed.). Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: from the colonial period to the age of Frederick Douglass1. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 121–129. ISBN0195167775.

^Matt Baker at the Grand Comics Database. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Artist credits were not routinely given in comic books in the 1940s, so comprehensive credits are difficult if not impossible to ascertain.

^"Black Airline Pilots: August Martin (1919-1968)". AvStop.com / Aviation Online. n.d. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Between 1946 and 1955, he flew only part time for such airlines as Buffalo Skylines, El Al Airlines and World Airways. ... In 1955, August Martin gained a foothold in the world of US aviation when he was hired by Seaboard World Airlines as the first Black captain of a US scheduled air carrier. During a thirteen-year period with Seaboard, Martin got a chance to pilot the DC-3, DC-4, Lockheed Constellation and Canadair CL-44.